In our 11th installment of the Astros Legends Series, we sit down with baseball lifer Jim Pankovits—a versatile infielder who played 316 games across multiple positions for Houston. His journey to the big leagues is a testament to perseverance, and his stories from the 1980s Astros are pure gold for any fan of the game.

The Long Road to the Show

When Jim Pankovits finally got the call to join the Astros in May 1984, he was already 28 years old—making him the oldest rookie in the league that season. "I was finishing a series in Vegas and flew to Honolulu to play the Hawaii club," he recalls. "When I landed, they told me I was being called up. I turned right around, caught another flight back to the mainland, and didn't get into Houston until about 10:30 that morning. I was so afraid I'd oversleep and miss my call-up date that I didn't even take a nap. I just went straight to the ballpark and got my uniform." The very next day, he stepped in as a pinch hitter—and made it count.

A First At-Bat to Remember

That debut at-bat came against Pittsburgh Pirates closer Rod Scurry, known for his devastating slider. "He had a real hard slider with a lot of depth," Pankovits says. "I battled him to a 3-2 count and got a single. That at-bat set the tone and gave me a lot of confidence that I belonged up there and could play with just about anyone. Getting off to a good start on your first opportunity is really key."

First Homer, Big Moment

Later that same season, Pankovits launched his first career home run off another legendary closer—John Franco of the Cincinnati Reds. "It had to have been a fastball, because that's all I could hit," he laughs. "The count went deep, and it was a three-run shot. I hit it good."

The Magic of 1986

When asked about the iconic 1986 Astros squad, Pankovits lights up. "That was a fun year. Everyone was at their peak. Nolan Ryan had a really good year, as he often did, and Mike Scott was simply unhittable. Everyone got along. There were no hidden agendas, everyone pulled together. The icing on the cake was Mike's no-hitter against the Giants." That team's chemistry and dominance remain a high point in Astros history—and a reminder of what makes baseball special.